Her mother's daughter
by Milana8
Summary: What if Zelena had left something behind in Storybrooke before getting caught in her time-travel spell? Or rather... Someone? The wicked witch's daughter is in town, and would do anything to revenge her mother... But can a ten-years-old do anything against the Dark One? Takes places after 3B and during 4A. I hope you'll like it, please let me know!
1. Lost Girl

**_Storybrooke- Present day_**

Regina had been reading this damn book at least a thousand times, and she still couldn't find anything, any clue that could lead her to this damn author. Not a single word that could have led her to him. She was starting to feel like Operation Mongoose was a dead end. How can you find someone with that kind of unimaginable power when they don't want to be found? With a sigh, she returned to her endless reading.

She was re-reading the chapters about Oz, hoping that at the same time she could understand a little bit more this strange sister of hers, who preferred killing herself rather than accepting the second chance Regina had offered her.

 _"You shouldn't have told me all your tricks, Rumple. I'll see you again, dearie. And, next time, you will choose me…"_ _  
_ _Clicking her heels three times, Zelena_ _had_ _disappeared in a cloud of green smoke._

Regina turned to the next page before remembering those last few words. Zelena's slippers could travel between worlds; they could lead Zelena wherever she wanted, whether she was asking for a place or to a person. Perhaps they could find the author, too. And, perhaps she left those shoes behind her…

Less than half an hour later, Regina was at the farmhouse's doorstep, attempting to gather enough of her courage to go in. For some reason, she was feeling afraid; maybe just the ambiance that resulted from going into her dead sister's house. Or, maybe she feared that if she couldn't find the slippers, she would be right back from where she started…  
Or it was just the thought of entering into someone's house without permission, but she seriously doubted that. When you used to be the unrelenting Evil Queen, trespassing becomes somewhat of a minor issue.

While thinking about that, she came to the door, and was about to open it when she noticed a flash of movement to her right, through the window to the living room. A slight, tiny, little movement, but still. There was somebody in there. Somebody who now knew she was there, too. She took a deep breath, mentally slapped herself for not checking that in the first place, and softly pushed down on the handle. In a creaking moan, the door opened, giving way to two panicked, blue eyes fixed at her.

"Who are you?" asked the little girl on the other side, watching her with eyes almost as wide as the moon. Regina observed the girl. She was probably about ten and definitely pretty, with long, red locks and big, blue eyes. Her clothes clearly had seen better days, and from the looks the girl was giving to the apple Regina always had in her bag (you never know when you can use it), she was also hungry. The woman gave her the apple and tried to smile at her. "Don't worry dear, I won't do you any harm. What are you doing here, all by yourself?"  
The girl crossed her arms and frowned.  
"Who are you?" she repeated, with a moody expression. There was no way she would answer without Regina telling her name first, that, at least, was clear. The queen sighed.  
"My name is Regina; I'm the mayor here, and I'm here to help. Who are you? And where are your parents?"  
The girl relaxed slightly and looked a little relieved when she got her answer, but she still didn't seem overtly comfortable.  
"I'm Jade."  
"Why are you here, Jade? Did you run away?" Regina asked her.  
The girl shook her head no.  
" I used to live here with my mother, but, one day, she didn't come back. I don't know where she's been; do you know why she isn't home?"  
Regina started with a sudden realization. Her sister had a child?

"You mean you're Zelena's daughter? And you've been all alone here ever since…" She interrupted herself. 'Since your mother tried to go back in time, failed, and killed herself' was definitely a bit too harsh. Luckily, the child nodded, seeming not to notice that Regina hadn't finished her sentence. She gazed right into the former queen's eyes, a serious expression on her face, and she asked, "Regina, where is my Mum?"  
She saw the hesitation into Regina's eyes and continued. "You know where she is, right?"

With a sigh, Regina kneeled down to look the child in the eyes. How do you explain a ten-year-old that her mother committed suicide?  
She decided to deal with that later. "Listen, dear, you're going to come with me, okay? We can talk about this later. For now, I'll take you with me, I'll make us dinner. Does that suit you?"  
Jade nodded and grabbed Regina's hand to follow her home. Fine. Now, she just had to explain what had happened to Robin, who was supposed to come for dinner tonight…

"I couldn't just leave her there! If you'd seen her, she was all dirty and hungry! She needed me, you can get that!"  
"That's not what I'm saying, Regina! I just think you should have left her at the Sheriff's station. That's what you're supposed to do in these kinds of cases! Plus, she needs to leave Storybrooke as soon as possible. She's the Wicked Witch's daughter! People won't just welcome her with hugs and smiles!"  
"So you've already forgotten? We can't leave Storybrooke, or we can never go back! And we're not gonna abandon her on the side of the road!"  
Regina paused. "Maybe we don't have to tell them… We can pretend she's just a lost girl. "  
"Oh, please, Regina; she looks just like her! Her whole face says, 'I'm the daughter of the witch who tried to steal a baby to go back in time!'"  
"Robin, stop it. Please. I can't just leave her! Can you imagine how hard it must be? She's all alone, surrounded by people she doesn't know, people who are going to judge her because of who her mother is. Her mother, who just killed herself and left this girl behind, by the way, which she has no idea of yet!"

Behind the door, a small silhouette, eyes full of tears, stopped listening through the door and ran back upstairs without a noise, except for tiny little hiccups shaking her narrow shoulders. Shivering, Jade got back into bed and buried her face in her pillow to smother her sobs.

"I know you wouldn't have given up on me, Mom. You promised," she whispered through her tears. "I know it. And I will find whoever did this to you, I swear."  
She wiped away a tear rolling down her cheek and flicked it off her fingers.  
"And, whoever it is, I'll kill them."

* * *

 ** _AN: Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! I'll try to update as soon as possible. If you have any question or feeling about what I wrote, please let me know, I'll be glad to answer you ^^_**


	2. Mother

**Oz- A few years ago**

A little hand pushed the door open and entered the dark room, only illuminated by the violent lightning splitting the night sky. "Mommy, please..."  
The silhouette in the bed sighed and turned to face the little red-haired girl in green pajamas. "May I sleep with you tonight?"

Zelena rubbed her eyes and sat on the edge of the bed.  
"Aren't you a bit old for that, Jade?" she asked. "You're almost 7. You're a big girl."  
The little girl raised her anxious eyes to her mother.  
"But, Mommy, I'm scared…"  
Those words… Zelena had heard them before. Had said them before. She closed her eyes.

 _"Mommy, I'm scared…"_

 _"I know, sweetie. But it's gonna be alright, you'll see. You two are gonna get through it just fine. I… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"  
"But you told me you would never leave me. You swore."_

 _The little ginger-haired girl's eyes were brimming with tears, and she was squeezing her mother's hand so hard that her mother's fingers were almost white. Or, perhaps it was just because her mother's whole body was pale, pale as death._

 _"Mom, you have to stay. The play we made up in my class, you have to come to see it! I'm playing Little Red Riding Hood, you know?"_

 _The woman smiled through her tears. "I know, Zelie, I'd never forget about that. But I don't think I can; I'm so sorry…"  
"Don't leave me, please!"  
"Sweetheart… Come," her mother said, patting the bed by her side._

 _The little girl climbed into the bed and curled up against the woman.  
"I need you," she whispered. _

_"I know," she murmured into her daughter's soft curls, "and I need you. But you have your daddy; he's gonna take a great care of you. It's all going to be fine. I swear. I love you, child."_

 _The little girl didn't answer; she was already asleep, nestled up against her mother's side. The woman smiled and petted the little girl's hair.  
"I'm so sorry, Zelena… I love you. I really do."Then, she laid back on the couch, pressed the girl's head against her chest, and closed her eyes._

 _When the little girl got up, her sorrow was almost forgotten; she shook her mother's arms to tell her she was going outside to play with friends, but no matter how hard she tried, her mother didn't wake up. She never woke up again after that._

"She gave up on me," Zelena whispered.

"Mommy?" a little voice asked, bringing her back to reality. "May I come? Please?"  
Zelena wiped a tear rolling down her cheek and smiled at her daughter. "Yes. Yes, of course you can."  
"Yay!" The child rushed into the creased sheets to huddle against her mother. Zelena felt two cold little feet touching her legs, and a surge of love overwhelmed her.

She loved her little girl so much… This little one was all she had. She was her everything. How could her mother, even adoptive, choose not to stay for this kind of feeling?  
"You don't have to worry, my little green bean. I'm here, and I always will be. I'll never give up on you; I swear."  
Jade smiled and hugged her mother tighter.

* * *

 ** _AN: Thank you so much for your support! I'll try to edit soon to tell you more ^^ I enjoyed so much writing Mommy Zelena scenes ! Hope you liked it too, and see you soon ! Please keep telling me what you think !_**


	3. Heart of Gold

_**Storybrooke - Present day**_

In the morning, when Regina came to her, Jade was already awake, sitting on her bed like someone who didn't sleep a lot during nighttime. She had had strange dreams for the whole night, a mix of old memories and nightmares.  
"Is everything all right?" asked the mayor as the little girl looked at her.

The child nodded.  
"Regina?" she asked in a small voice.  
"Yeah?"  
"Would you take me to the sheriff's station today? Please?"

Regina raised her eyebrows and sat beside her on the bed.  
"Sure, if you want to. But why would you go there?"  
"I don't know… I think Emma might know what to do with me as… If my mother doesn't come back."

Regina shyly took the girl's hand and shook her head. "Oh, dear… Of course I'll take you. And about your mother-"  
"No, please. I don't want to know. If you're not telling me, then it must be bad, isn't it? I don't want to know. Please."  
"Alright. If that's what you want…" whispered Regina. She wrapped her arm around the child's shoulders."But you're not alone; you know that, right? I'll be there if you need anything. And I'll take you to the sheriff's if that's what you want, but I won't let you down. I don't know if your mother told you, but she was… is my sister. You're family, and I'll take care of you. I promise."

Jade nodded, feeling a bit guilty. The former queen her mother had depicted as a spoiled brat was being so incredibly nice to her, and she didn't know how she was supposed to feel about it. She wanted to trust her, but her mother had told her not to, and she couldn't tell Regina about her plans. She would want to stop her, when this visit to the sheriff was just her first step in her mission of finding out the truth… and seeking revenge.

An hour later, in front of the station, Emma was having a break outside when she saw the mayor coming, holding the hand of a little ginger-haired girl. Emma would have recognized that face anywhere. Was the Wicked Witch back from the dead as a little girl?

Seeing the panic in the sheriff's eyes, Regina quickly explained the situation. Emma glanced at the little girl, who was shyly hiding behind Regina's leg.  
"Has she seen the tape?" she whispered so the girl wouldn't hear.

But she had definitely heard. As the two adults were talking outside, the girl snuck inside the office and started opening the drawers, one by one. A tape shouldn't be that hard to find, but time was running out.  
She finally found an old security tape in the last drawer, and wondered if she had enough time to watch it. As the women's voices were still audible from where she was, she decided yes, she had more than enough time, and inserted the tape in the VCR.  
From there, she saw her mother locked up, suffering silently in a tiny cinderblock cell. Alone. In front of her eyes, the red-haired woman passed an hand in front of her body, which dissolved in thousands of sparkling pieces, before she totally vanishes. That was quite hard to take…

The child wasn't even crying, though. She just couldn't.  
"So you did give up on me…" she whispered.  
Still, she couldn't believe it. She had to watch it another time, no matter how hard it was. At least she would be certain that even after that promise she made, her mother didn't stay for her.

She didn't stay for her because she wasn't worth it. She wasn't enough for her to stay alive. She rewound the tape to the beginning and noticed she couldn't see anything before that first image. As if the tape had started to record at that exact moment. That was strange…

A spark of hope shook her heart, no matter how hard she was trying not to give herself false hope. She decided to check, tried to remember her lessons with her mother and slowly touched the recorder. Nothing happened, and she felt stupid. Perhaps Emma had cut the tape to keep only this part of it. Or, for some other reason, the recorder wasn't working before? Hope was a wretched thing. Useless. She should have known that; her mother had said it pretty often before. She was about to let go of the button when voices from the screen startled her.

"Regina. I didn't expect you back so soon."  
"I don't imagine you expected me at all, dearie"

Frozen, Jade watched a man she didn't know stabbing her mother. The dagger striking her mother's chest rang in her ears as thunder, making her shiver. She felt tears dropping from her eyes and rolling down her cheeks. So she was right. Someone did kill her mother. Watching it was awful; heartbreaking, but yet, she was relieved. The pain was slowly turning back into anger. She still had something to live for: revenge.  
Suddenly, she heard Regina's voice approaching in the corridor.

 _"Remember what your grandpa used to say. No matter how you feel on the inside, you must always put on your best face."_  
Jade didn't know if Zelena had really whispered in her ear or if it was just some old memory, but she wiped her tears and quickly took out the tape from the recorder, hiding it behind her back. Just in time, too; the two women burst into the room, laughing. Regina froze when she saw Jade standing next to the cells.  
"Jade? Is everything alright?"

The girl noted that she still had to work on her poker face, but she nodded and tried to smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. So, what do we do now? What's happening to me since my… She…" Her voice broke, but nobody blamed her for that. They knew she'd been through a lot. Even if none of them had any idea of what had really happened.

Regina bent and gently caressed Jade's cheek. "You're staying with me if that's okay with you. I have a big house, too big for only Henry and me, and he's only there half of the time. We can find you a place in there very easily. Plus, I'd be glad to have company. Especially yours!" Regina said with a goofy smile. The girl nodded and smiled back before taking Regina's hand to go back home.

On their way home, though, she kept silent until they stopped in front of the door for Regina to find her keys.  
"Regina? Jade asked.  
"Hmm?"  
"Do you know anyone named 'Rumple'?"

* * *

 ** _So that's it for today, I hope you liked it ^^ ! See you soon, and thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think :)!_**


	4. Snowdrifts

_****__**The enchanted forest – years ago**_

"You shouldn't have told me all your tricks, Rumple. I'll see you again, dearie. And next time, you will choose me…" Clicking her heels three times, Zelena disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

Zelena reappeared in the middle of the forest, completely depressed. Around her, the snow was keeping peacefully falling down, careless of what just happened. Her world was crumbling down and the snow was still falling. Just as pure, just as beautiful as it used to. She hated it for that. Rumple didn't love her, and he never had. All he had ever wanted was for her to cast his curse; then, even if she did, he would have let her down. As everyone did. Thinking about why she had prepared him that meatpie, about what she had been just about to tell him, was making her sick. She sat on a fallen tree and started crying.

"I'm sorry, m'lady, may I help you?" She turned back to face the man who had just interrupted her moment of despair. "Thanks, but I… I don't think so," she gasped.  
She watched through her tears the man who had dared to talk to her, without caring about her neck turning green and her runny nose. He was tall, his long, brown hair tousled all around his head.

"At least I could try," he smiled. "But I don't want to bother you, so tell me if you just want me to leave you alone."

And, suddenly, she realized that she didn't want him to leave. She didn't want to be alone. Not anymore. "No, it's fine," she said with a passive wave of her hand. "It's nice of you to come to help me. I'm Zelena."

His smile grew larger. "And I'm Jefferson. Pleased to meet you, Zelena." He paused, stared at her for a while, and then: "What happened to your neck?"

She winced. "Long story. Too long for now I'm afraid."  
He sat by her side on the trunk.  
"I'm a very patient man."

She chuckled."Okay, so then, Mr Patient, what are you doing here, in the middle of the forest? I thought I'd be alone."

"Well, I'm living here," he answered. "Me, my wife Priscilla, and our little girl, Grace. We're a few miles away, now. I was just getting home."  
He looked at her, a grin growing on his lips.  
"Now, my next question should be what _you_ are doing here, all alone in such cold weather, but I guess you don't want to talk about that, either, do you?"

She shook her head.  
"Fine. Then, what do you want to talk about?"

Silence.  
Jefferson remained quiet, too, for a while. He didn't know why, but he liked sitting here next to this this girl he had just met. He was kind of a mystery-lover, and he was feeling like this red-head was fool of them… And he couldn't wait to discover more about her. And, deep inside, he also really wanted those tears to leave her pretty face of hers…  
"You're shivering."  
He smiled gently and placed his jacket on the woman's shoulders. She smiled at him.  
"Thanks."  
The silence kept growing for a few second, before Jefferson took a deep breath.  
"Seeing as you're all alone in the middle of nowhere, I'm guessing that you don't have anything to do right now, do you?"

Zelena grinned. "Well guessed."

"Would you mind to join me for tea, then? It's almost tea-time, my wife isn't home, my daughter is too small to drink tea, and I hate spending this moment alone. Plus, it's quite freezing over here, and it would be nice to drink something hot, wouldn't it? "  
Zelena smiled.  
"Thank you, really. I'd love to."  
"I'm sure Grace will be glad to meet you," he answered.

On their way to the forest mansion, Jefferson finally dared asking the question that had been burning his lips ever since he met her.  
"Will you tell me why you were crying that much? You don't have to if you don't want, but, but I'm curious and…"

Zelena remained quiet for a while, and sighed.  
"I thought someone was in love with me, but I found out he wasn't. After I gave up everything to stay with him  
\- Oh. I'm sorry…"

The silence came back for a while Snow was still falling around them, surrounding them with its frozen coat. Zelena looked at the man next to her, and at the snowflakes falling all around him, some scattered in his brown hair. She started again.  
"And that's not even the worst part."

Jefferson took her hand, and she just pretended she didn't notice.  
"And what _is_ the worst part?" he asked gently.

She returned him a sad smile. "I'm pregnant."


	5. The Dark One's dagger

_Storybrooke – present day, a few weeks later_

"Regina, I'm going to the library!"  
"Okay, tell Belle to text me when you arrive!"

The girl sighed.  
"Okay." She closed the door and made her way to the clock tower. Regina was a bit overprotective; she had yet to get used to it.

Jade opened the door to the library and yelled, "It's me!"  
"I'm sending the text," answered a voice from behind one of the shelves. Belle was so used to the child's visits that she knew immediately what she had to do.  
The librarian finished classifying the pile of books she was working on and came to the little girl. "So, what do you want to do today? Is cleaning up fine? I found a ton of new books in the basement, so we won't be bored today."

Jade immediately grabbed a pile of books and moved to a shelf to sort them. As she was doing so, she began flipping through some of them: the ones about the Dark One's dagger. Every day, she was going to the library, helping Belle but also reading every book she could find about the Dark One, and they were pretty numerous. What Regina had told her, about his redemption and about wanting to become a better man, hadn't convinced her one bit. He deserved to die. After all, why would she have survived, if it wasn't to revenge her mother's death?

She was on the stepladder when she found a book about Oz. She opened it and suddenly faced a picture of her mother in front of a mirror, turning green. She paused, and closed her eyes. Memories flooded her mind, and she was suddenly transported.

 _She is about five. It's bedtime, and her mother has just read to her for the hundredth time "Jack and the Beanstalk", her favorite bedtime story.  
Zelena shuts the book._ _"Good night, my little munchkin."_

 _She walks to the door,_ _and Jade stops her._ _"Mom? I love you."_ _  
Zelena smiles._ _"I love you_ _too, sweetie. It's just you and me. It always will be."_

God, she missed her so much… Overwhelmed by her feelings, she forgot about the "Dark One" books she had found. They slipped from her hands, and the pile dropped on the floor in a hellish noise. Belle immediately ran to her.

"What happened? Are you okay?"  
Jade started to gather the fallen books, a bit ashamed. _No matter how you feel on the inside, Jade, you must always put on your best face_ , she reminded herself. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I dropped them..."

With a kind smile, Belle bent to help her. "No problem, kid. Just be careful, next…" She interrupted her sentence by seeing the drawing of the dagger on one of the pages of the book she had just picked.  
"Jade, why were you reading about that?"

Ouch. She needed an escape plan, quickly… "I just thought it was pretty. I'd love to see those kind of wrought pieces in real life; it's beautiful!" was all she was able to find, but it was apparently enough, because Belle was smiling again. A trusting, friendly smile.  
"If I tell you a secret, will you tell anyone? "  
"No, of course I won't!"

Belle then came closer to whisper , "What if I showed it to you? Do you want to see that dagger in real life?"

That evening, long after she was supposed to be asleep, Jade rose and got dressed. Then, she knotted her sheets and threw them down the window. She carefully started to climb down it, terrified she might fall. Unlike her mother, she couldn't fly… It was the first time she was sneaking out, and her heart was racing, but surprisingly, she managed to get down without any trouble. Then, she ran to the library, and with a flash of her wrist, opened the locked door. Thanking her mother silently for teaching her that, she discreetly entered the building.  
The place was dark and silent, quite scary for a ten-year-old. She was trying to stay strong, but she couldn't help imagining a hidden monster behind every shelf. What if Rumple knew she was after him?

She cautiously made her way to the storehouse; everything her flashlight lit startled her. She unlocked the hidden door Belle had showed her in the afternoon.

She came in and closed the door to find the box Belle showed her just in front of her eyes. It was locked by a protection spell settled by Rumple himself, but she had no problem undoing it. A flash of her wrist, a cloud of green smoke, and that was it. Almost too easy. She wondered for a split second why such a powerful man wouldn't protect more powerfully his most precious good but quickly forgot about it.

There it was. She finally had it. The Dark One's dagger. She had read she could control the Dark One with it, and she would. He would be at her mercy. "You can be proud of me, Mum," she couldn't help but say out loud.  
The echo her voice was making in the almost empty room scared her, and she stopped talking. She hid the knife in the small bag she'd brought with her, created a false dagger to replace it, and relocked all the doors behind her, hoping Belle wouldn't notice the change.

In the night, two brown eyes followed her as she was leaving the tower. When she finally relocked the door with her magic, the eyes grew wider for a second, before making a soft sneer. Then, the silhouette quietly left, followed by the soft noise of his walking stick.

The bag discreetly hidden in her coat in case she got caught, the young girl came back to Regina's mansion. She pushed the door, which opened with a squeak.

Darn… She was so worried about the thought that anyone could have heard that noise she almost missed the light coming from the living room. There were people in there, awoken and making strange noises. At two in the morning… Her curiosity won over her fear of getting caught, and she discreetly opened the door wider. There, the scene left her speechless. Regina was laying in Emma's arms on the sofa, lips locked to the sheriff's. Oh. A day of surprises, indeed…  
The girl closed the door and came back to her room, perplexed. Not that she was so surprised; she had known the two of them liked each other in the few weeks she'd been here. But she never thought her aunt would dare jumping in. Plus, wasn't she supposed to be in love with Robin? Anyway, she would tell her about that later, if she had any chance to. She didn't really plan to come back, honestly. She didn't even plan what came next, actually, and she didn't really care.

She hid the dagger under her pillow and fell quickly into a dreamless sleep. She needed to rest; tomorrow was the big day.  
Tomorrow, she would kill Rumplestiltskin.


	6. Hat tricks

_**AN : Here comes chapter 6! Sorry for the wait ^^ I hope you'll like this chapter, I enjoy so much writing JeffersonxZelena scenes !**_

* * *

A week later, Zelena was rocking baby Grace in the living room. Priscilla entered and smiled at her before tossing her coat and bag aside.

"Hey! How are you?" Zelena asked the other woman.

Priscilla dropped on a chair with a sigh. "Thanks so much for taking care of her while I'm out."

Zelena returned her smile. "Thank you for keeping me here with you. I don't know where I would have been if it wasn't for you."

" I don't know how we survived a whole six months without a babysitter, either. I'm constantly out for work, and Jeff has always thousands of things to do. Plus, you're lovely company! How was Grace today?"

As so-told Grace was finally asleep, Zelena put the baby in her crib and silently came to Priscilla.  
"She's been an absolute sweetheart. We walked to the end of the forest this afternoon. How was your day?"

"Oh, fine. It's been a long day, though; I'm glad I'm finally home. Too many rude and busy clients, but I'm getting used to it, I guess."

"Hi, ladies! How are you?"

Jefferson entered the house and threw his hat on the table as if it were a frisbee. It slid to a stop in front of Zelena's eyes, and she raised them to look at the newcomer. He seemed to be in a very good mood that night. Priscilla smiled and got up to welcome him with a kiss.

"Hi, hon. I'm fine! What about you, dear?"

"Absolutely lovely!"

He sat on a chair, smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

"I met someone today who wants me to find something for him. It's an easy job, and it's in the Enchanted Forest, so I won't even have to leave this land. But he pays a lot! We're rich, girls! What about a bigger house? Grace could even have her own room!"

"It's not dangerous, is it?" asked Zelena shyly.

She was almost surprised she was the one asking about it, but she really cared about the hatter. He had offered her a temporary home, and she didn't want him to get harmed. And this offer seemed too good to be true…

"What is it that you're supposed to find?"

Jefferson smiled again. "It probably won't be easy. He told me the object I was after was guarded by a very powerful witch, but he said he was taking care of that part of the plan. He's a powerful wizard as well, and will defeat her very easily, he told me. All I have to do is take him to the witch. Then, we'll be able to stop scrounging and begging for every penny."

Priscilla looked at him. "It sounds nice, for sure, but Zelena's right. Are you sure it's safe? "

"In our kinds of jobs, nothing's ever completely safe. But I have to take a few risks if I want my family to have luxuries, don't I? "

"I don't know… What is the name of that wizard? "

"I don't really remember, it was a strange name. Something like Ruplepicmin… Rupletictin… "

"Rumplestiltskin," Zelena interrupted.

Her hosts both faced her, surprised. "That's right. How do you know that? "

"It… No matter. But you can't trust him, you can't! He's… He's… You have to refuse, no matter what he says. It's too dangerous… "

"So you met him? And he broke a deal? "

"Oh, no, he never breaks a deal. But his deals always have something hidden underneath, and in the end, he's the only one to enjoy the result…"

Jefferson gave her a pitiful look. "Well, I don't really have a choice, actually. I already told him I would meet him at his castle on tomorrow. And we need that money. I mean, we really love having you here, but we were already struggling to feed the three of us, now that there're four… And, soon, if you stay, we're going to be five, and we won't be able to handle it… We need that money, Zelena," he said with conviction. "I thought it was an easy deal. What you're saying tells me it's not, but I don't have a choice. I'll go meet him on tomorrow."

Zelena blushed and looked at her shoes to avoid his gaze. She was well aware she was a burden for them, but she hadn't had any other place to go since she had told her father goodbye…  
And also maybe because deep inside, she didn't want to leave…

She met Jefferson's eyes. "At least be careful," she whispered. His smile came back.

"You don't have to worry about me, Z. It's going to be fine, you'll see."

And, if Zelena noticed the flash of jealousy passing in Priscilla's eyes when he reached for Zelena's hand on the table, she didn't show it.


	7. Wizard hunt

_**Storybrooke- present day**_

That morning, Regina didn't wake her up like she had expected. Jade went down to the kitchen, expecting her to be waiting downstairs, but she wasn't. There was only breakfast on the table and a note:  
"Jade,  
I'm at the sheriff's station  
With the Snow Queen defeated, we might finally succeed in waking Marian. I'll be back by noon. Kisses,  
Regina"

The little girl smiled. If this wasn't fate, she didn't know what it was…

She ate and came back to her room to pack the dagger and the things she cared about the most. Then, she left without looking back. She had to find Rumplestiltskin; and she would do it where it all began.

A few minutes later, she was back at the farmhouse, a little anxious. What if something went wrong? But she quickly got rid of her doubts; her mother was protecting her, after all. How else would Regina have been out that specific day? She pulled the dagger from her bag and lifted it in front of her eyes.

"Rumplestiltskin."

Nothing happened.  
"Rumplestiltskin, I command you to appear!"

Still nothing. So frustrating.  
"Really? Dark One, I command thee! Come over! Now!" she yelled.

Finally, after a few endless seconds, a dark smoke started to show, shaping a man. And when it cleared, Mr. Gold was standing there.  
"Jade, I suggest you put that down," was the first thing he said. The girl shook her head.  
"Oh, no, I certainly won't. Do you know why?"

The pawnbroker raised an eyebrow. " I don't really care to know. But I suppose you're going to tell me anyway, aren't you?"

Jade frowned. "You killed my mother. You killed her, and now, I'm going to kill you. I have your precious dagger; you're powerless. You shouldn't have left it unattended."  
She stopped when she saw the grin on Rumple's lips.

"Oh, but I didn't."  
"What?" Jade's confidence dissipated. The dagger felt slippery in her hands.

His smile grew larger, but he remained silent.  
"Anyway, I don't care. I'll revenge her death, no matter what. And if you don't think I can do it… "  
"Oh, I know perfectly well you can do this, dearie. You're Zelena's daughter. I'm just afraid you don't have the required tools for that."  
"I have your dagger, Rumplestilstkin. I summoned you with it. I think I have exactly what I need."  
"You don't, and you know what?" he asked her.

He came closer.

"Stop." She ordered, dagger up, but he kept coming to her.

"I said stop!" she nearly screamed at him, panic dripping from every pore of her skin. So something _had_ gone wrong, and she had no idea of what it was yet. But that mistake was probably her last one.

He didn't stop; instead he laughed while he took her chin in his hand. "I think you might have the wrong dagger, dear," he whispered in her ear.

That's when she remembered the tape. That tape she had only watched to see who had killed her mom, and which had been so awful she hadn't really cared about what was said. _"You see, my father taught me something, the only useful thing he passed on. A little sleight of hand called "Fall of the Lady". Belle has a fake."_

Oh.  
That was why the dagger was so easy to steal.  
That was why no one had interfered when she'd stolen it.

"See, I've been watching you for quite some time, Jade. You're a good witch, just like your mother. But, like her, you tend to look for the impossible…"

She dropped the fake dagger and lit her hand with magic, ready to fight, but he turned off the green glow with a move of his wrist.

He sneered. " _Killing me_ is the impossible I'm talking about. But nice try, anyway. If it wasn't me you were trying to kill, I would almost congratulate you. But, unfortunately for you, I'm not exactly the gentle kind…"

He lifted her in the air like a puppet, when a voice came out from behind the house.

"Rumple, please, put my daughter down. Right now."

Marian emerged from the shadows, a cruel smile on her lips. Both Rumple and Jade stared at her, astonished.

"Wait. What?" was the only thing Rumple was able to answer at first. Then, he pulled himself back together, and put the girl down, magically tying her mouth, arms and legs.  
"Lady Marian. To what do I owe the honor?"

Marian's smile grew larger, while playing with her necklace, a tiny six-leaved clover. "Rumple, dear. Don't tell me you didn't recognize me?"

He still looked completely lost, which wasn't displeasing the woman. She laughed and disappeared in a cloud of green smoke. In place of her now stood the Wicked Witch of the West, who was really enjoying the pawnbroker's face right now.

"Oh no…" he whispered.  
"Oh yes, dear! Did you miss me?  
"Mmmh!" interrupted Jade from behind her gag.

"Just a second, child, worry not; I'll take care of you. It's just such a wonderful thing, to trick the Dark One… Enjoy it, sweetie. It's something that's definitely worth everything we've been through."

Jade clearly didn't agree with that, but she kept quiet; she didn't have a choice with that gag on her mouth, anyway.  
"So, so, where did we leave off? Oh, right. I was asking you if you missed me. You did, hum?" she asked, smiling like a child on Christmas Eve.

"How did you… "

"Oh, that ! Imported magic, dear. Never travel between worlds without it. Remember the six-leaved clover? From Oz? What an effective glamour spell."

"No, I… I killed you! "

"Well, you tried. When you stabbed me in that jail, somehow, I didn't die. My life force simply fled my body before it shattered. I had somewhere to go. Or, should I say, some… time."

"You followed Emma through the time portal," Rumple realized.

"That I did! And when I realized what Emma had planned for Marian, when they said they were taking Robin's wife back, well, I mean… Inspiration stroke! And then I struck. For a few moments, they left her unattended, and that was all I needed. I killed her. And then, I became her. I took her form…" She smiled.  
"You didn't expect that, did you?  
"Marian never made the trip to Storybrooke…"  
"No, dear! It was me all along. She's as dead as… Well, your son. Oh, that's right, that means you never revenged his death, that… You failed. Oops."

At these words, he ran at her with a scream of rage, but she stopped him in the middle of his move with a move of her wrist. "Oh, dear, I thought we were done with this killing nonsense. You can't kill me, Rumple."

She started pacing around, not seeing the Dark One picking up the fake dagger, which actually had a real blade... Jade struggled to get rid of her ties and succeeded to free her mouth.

"Mom!"

But Zelena wasn't listening anymore. She was far too busy talking, instead. "See, travelling through time isn't easy, so when I found out I was in the wrong time, I felt quite upset. But then I realized…"

Rumple had snuck behind her and lifted the dagger.

"Mom!"

But Zelena was still talking, not noticing the sharp, shining blade coming closer each second.  
Jade struggled harder, managing to free a hand. "Mom, please!"

She succeeded in creating a fireball with her finally free hand and threw it into the Dark One's back. He fell down with a scream, the dagger only cutting of Zelena a short lock of red hair.

She turned back, eyes wide open, to see the wizard lying on the floor. He growled in anger and disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke. Then, she lifted her eyes on her daughter.  
"What happened?"

Jade cut her last ties with her magic and smiled at her.  
"What happened is that you might tend to speak a little too much."

Zelena's cheeks reddened, and she came closer to her daughter. Jade ran at her and hugged her so tight she feared she might break her. But her mother just returned the hug, smiling. "I've missedyou," admitted the witch, almost surprised she was the one these words were coming from. After all she had been through, she was just realizing how much she had missed the child.

Jade strayed away just enough to be able to talk again.  
"I thought you were dead, she whispered.

Zelena caressed her hair.  
"I know, love. I'm sorry. I wanted to come for you, but I couldn't get rid of Robin for a minute, and then I was frozen, so it was so complicated, and I came as soon as possible, I swear. I didn't leave you; I never forgot about you, never.  
"How did you find me? "  
"That was easy; I used a tracking spell."

They kept quiet for a while, before Jade broke the silence. "You scared me. When you were talking to him. You sounded crazy."

A worried glance from her mother answered her. "I did? I'm sorry, this Dark One has a gift to take me out of myself. "

"Did you kill Marian? "

"Not really. I sent her back to the queen's jail, which she should never have left in the first place. "

"So, you left her to die."

"Hum. Said like that, it sounds a lot worse than it was… "

"It is. Mum, you could have just let her go… "

"And changed the whole continuum? It's possible you would've never been born if she did come back to Robin. "

"Hum."

Silence again. And then: ""Mum, why do you and Rumple hate each other so much? Who is he?"  
Zelena giggled. "Oh, no more than your father, dear."

* * *

 _ **AN: So so sorry for the long wait! I promise I'll make it up by posting the end faster ^^ Thanks reading, I hope you like it :)! **_


	8. Fall

_**The enchanted forest- A few years ago**_

The following day, Zelena was sewing in the small house, looking after little Grace while Priscilla was working Jefferson was out with Rumplestiltskin. She was usually quite good at sewing, but today, she just couldn't focus; the thought of her friend dealing with Rumple was driving her crazy.

Fsshhhhhhh!

The noise the wind was making from outside suddenly intensified, getting stronger each second. When it started to be deafening, Zelena put down her needle and rose to go to the door. But when it opened, she had to hold it back to prevent it from flying away with the blowing wind. A cyclone whirled in front of the house.

"What the hell…" she whispered, astonished.

Leaves were flying everywhere, making the whole landscape look blurred, and in the middle of the hole drawn by the storm, two silhouettes were emerging, half hidden by the purple smoke.

The first one finally came out.

"Jefferson? What… What are you doing? You're back early. And you could have come by foot, couldn't you?" But he didn't need to answer. The second silhouette left the shade as well and grinned.

"Surprise, dearie!"  
"Rumplestiltzkin."  
"Yes, dear… It appears you were right, I am seeing you again!"

Jefferson picked up his hat and turned to Rumple. "I don't understand. Why are we here? This is my home, not some powerful witch's."

The wizard grinned.  
"Well, it kind of is. Now, if you'll excuse me… Zelena, dear, where did we leave off? Oh, right, those slippers. What if you give them to me?"  
"If you remember our last talk, you probably also remember what I told you that day."  
"That I'd have to kill you first. Well, perhaps I don't have to kill you. I could kill… Him!"

With these words, he suspended Jefferson in the air. The man was suffocating, struggling to breathe.

"Let him go!" Zelena screamed, the wind whipping her hair wildly around her face.

Rumple sneered. "Oh, there it is; it seems like I still can recognize love when I see it. The way you two look at one another… Well, learn it from me, dear, as your mother couldn't teach you. Love… is weakness."

As he said this, he tightened his invisible grip, and Jefferson stiffened. "Now, where are those slippers?"

She closed her eyes and sighed. He'd won. She couldn't let Jefferson die.

"It's not here," she said. "I hid them in the forest when I arrived."

Rumple giggled. "Well, then, let's go get them! After you, milady!"

She started to walk in front of him, leading the way to the tree Jefferson had found her on, and worrying about little Grace staying all alone in the meantime. When they arrived to the fallen tree, she bent and grabbed something from underneath it. When she undid the packet, the silver slippers were shining in the sunlight.

Rumple's smile grew larger, and he quickly grabbed the pack, so fast the fabric surrounding it fell on the ground.  
"Fine. Thank you, dearie. But my lesson isn't over yet… I'm still your teacher after all, and you've been disobedient. So I have to punish you… "

He strengthened once more his grip on Jefferson, constricting his neck more and more. The hatter, who had still been struggling, stopped fighting, pale as death, and fell back, limp.

"No!" Zelena yelled. Hopelessly, she threw a shot of fire at the wizard to make him stop, knowing it was in vain. Nothing except for his dagger could hurt the Dark One.

But he was projected a few feet back, hit with full force.  
Jefferson fell on the grass, freed from the grasp. A stream of blood was running down the wizard's cheek. Incredulous, he passed his hand on his face and brought it back. It was covered with red. He looked at the witch still frozen in front of him, swore, and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

Zelena stared at the place he had just left, amazed, and picked up her slippers. How on earth had she been able to hurt him?

A soft moan brought her back to reality. She ran to Jefferson, still laying on the ground.  
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I couldn't keep him from…"

But Jefferson wasn't listening. He was deathly pale and now completely unconscious, his arm twisted in a strange way.  
His arm got back in the angle it was meant to have with a bit of magic; but his eyes didn't open. On the contrary, his breath was getting quieter and quieter each passing moment.

"No, no, no, Jeff, wake up…"

She shook him harder and tried to cure him with her magic again.  
"Come on, Jeff, you can do it. Wake up, please. Your family needs you. Little Grace needs you."

She paused.

"I need you."

For an awful moment, nothing happened. Tears started to roll down her cheeks. She was just realizing how important he had become in her life, and now…

A cough startled her. Jefferson was coughing hard, trying to breathe, and shyly smiled at her.

"Hi."

She laughed through her tears, and threw herself in his arms. Surprised at first, he petted her hair, and met her eyes, still filled with tears. His heart jumped, and he couldn't resist any longer; he slowly took her chin and delicately kissed her.


	9. The return

**_Present day, Storybrooke. A few weeks later_**

"Jade, would you mind coming to see me?" Marian asked through the library's door. Robin turned to his wife, surprised, and she smiled at him.

"Go ahead; I'll catch you up later."

Jade left the shelving, two books in each hand. Even if she didn't have anything to look for anymore in the library, she still loved that place. She smiled at Grace, who was bending under the weight of a pile of books. The girl was a newcomer in the library, but two more hands were always helpful, and she was starting to really like her. She put the books on a table and came to the still-waiting witch. She was not sure how to start this conversation. Last time they had talked, they'd been interrupted by Regina when it was getting interesting, and now, she still didn't know if she could forgive her mother. After all, she did give up on her, even if she didn't want to…

And she was scary, sometimes.  
And strange, and crazy.

Life with Regina was pretty good, but she still wasn't her mother. She couldn't have a pillow fight with Regina or cuddle in the sofa and do nothing, just stare at the emptiness in front of her. She couldn't tell what was crossing her aunt's mind, couldn't laugh with her until she forgot why she was crying in the first place.  
"Mum," she said, not able to prevent her voice from shaking.

Zelena could always tell what she was thinking, but luckily she didn't seem offended. Her gaze softened. "Hey, kid. How are you?"

Jade could have almost cried right then. It was her mother, but it wasn't. That tone, she recognized it, but not the voice. It was so strange…

"I miss you," she couldn't help saying.

Zelena's eyes widened. Or Marian's, she couldn't decide. The woman opened her arms, and the child huddled into it, closing her eyes. "I love you," whispered Marian's voice.

Marian's hand petted her hair. If she was trying very hard, perhaps she could imagine it was her mom doing it… The body she was hugging suddenly stiffened. She opened her eyes back and moved away, only to see Grace handing the pile of books she had sorted to Belle. Despite the banal scene, Zelena was still frozen, looking at the young girl with the eyes of a rabbit caught in headlights. "Is that…"

"Grace!" called a strong voice. A man was entering the library. "I thought I told you to come back by 5? You're late for tea!"

"I know; I'm sorry Dad, I'm coming!"

Grace put down the pile, smiled at Belle, waved at Jade, and ran to join her father. As he exited the room, Jefferson noticed the frozen woman standing in the doorway, holding his daughter's friend's hand.

"Hi! So you're Jade's mother? Grace keeps talking about her all the time. You have a very nice kid, you know?" He paused. "I've never seen you around, have I?"  
It took a few moments for Zelena to get her head straight; moments while he was awkwardly staring at her, probably wondering whether she was going to answer or not.

 _Come on, Zelena. You can do this._

She cleared her throat. "Yeah, I'm… err, I mean, no, I'm not her mother, but I used to know her. It's… complicated. I…"

Silence.

Well, it seemed like she definitely couldn't answer him. He was probably trying to decide if she was totally insane or just pretending very well.

"And, yes, she's a wonderful kid. I'm Marian."

Zelena breathed a sigh of relief. She had finally succeeded in phrasing a full sentence.

He smiled.  
"Jefferson. I heard about you; you're Robin's wife, aren't you? I heard you were frozen? Are you okay? "

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks…"

They stared at one another for a few moments, in silence, one intrigued, the other still completely stumped. After a while, Grace pulled her father's arm.

"Daddy, we're late for tea! "

"Yeah, right, tea. See you soon, then!"

Zelena smiled. "Yeah, sure! Have a nice day!"

He almost ran through the door, followed by his daughter. But when he was behind it, he stopped, looked at the closed door, and mumbled through his teeth, "I could swear I've seen that gaze before."

* * *

That night, "Marian" was silently sneaking out of Robin's camp. She needed to breathe; the afternoon's events had really shaken her. She didn't know what to do about Jade, but she was well aware she couldn't let her go through this any longer. It was too hard for the girl. And Jefferson…

She stopped in a clearing and lay in the grass, looking at the stars. No noise, no one to ask her anything. Just the silence and the stars, without anyone to judge her. She sighed and closed her eyes. What if she remained like this forever?

"Erm."  
She had probably fallen asleep, because she hadn't heard the man this voice was coming from approach her. She jumped and rose as fast as she could.

In front of her stood the Mad Hatter himself, an ironic smile on the lips. "Hope you had a good sleep?"

She didn't answer. If he had come to her at that late hour, he should have had a good reason, shouldn't he?

He smiled again and came closer. She sighed and stood up.  
"Fine. What do you want?"

It all went very fast. He stuck her arms behind her back before she could even react. She prevented herself from laughing; she was a witch, there was no way he could immobilize her with those kinds of rustic methods. But if it was making him feel any better, she didn't struggle, even when she felt his breath closing to her neck.

"You're not Marian, are you?"

She shook her head. Time to drop the act.

"Then who," he tightened his grip on her wrists, "are," he locked her in his arms stronger, "you?" His voice was low, threatening. Yet she wasn't afraid.

"You know who I am," she said.

She freed herself and faced him. He was the scared one now. But she wasn't gonna hurt him. She flipped the six-leaved clover hanging over her neck, and blue eyes and red locks replaced the dark eyes anddark hair.

"Zelena." He wasn't surprised. He'd known it ever since he left the library.

She smiled and disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

* * *

When he came home that night, he noticed something on his office. A folded sheet of paper.  
He opened it.

"Join me at the docks tomorrow night at 9. We need to talk. Z."

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for the continuous support! Please keep telling me what you thought! What do you think might happen now :)?**


	10. It's not easy being green

**_The enchanted forest – years ago_**

Time had stopped in the clearing. For a few moments, they were free, almost out of time. But reality quickly brought them back.

Zelena pulled her lips away from Jefferson's, even though she didn't want to, ever; she needed to catch her breath. "Grace" she whispered to him. He didn't need anything more to remember the little girl waiting at home for him.

"Right. Grace. She's all alone; we have to get back to her."

He got back on his feet, staggered, refused Zelena's hand to stand, and left toward the forest mansion. On his way, he hesitated and turned to the witch, who was still standing in the clearing he'd just left.

"Oh, and this…"

"What happened… I'm sorry, Zelena, but it can't happen again. You know it as I do, right? I'm married, I have a child, I…"

She didn't move, still frozen. He turned back to her and caressed her cheek. "I'm sorry. I really am. It's nothing against you. I… I… "

"I love you."

There it was. She'd said it, and she didn't even know why on earth it had to be now. But it was too late, anyway. Jefferson's eyes widened. "I… I love you too." He grew paler, avoiding her gaze.

"But… I can't. I'm sorry." And he ran back to the house.

Zelena took her time to return to the house, to gather her thoughts and snap out of it. She hated losing control, and she felt so ashamed… Priscilla was her friend. She couldn't be in love with her husband.

When she finally dared to come back, Priscilla was back in the house.

From where she was, she saw Jefferson welcoming her with a kiss and a huge smile, and for the first time ever since she left Rumple, the green stain on her neck began to grow.

* * *

She was gathering her things when Priscilla entered. The other woman stopped and looked at her, surprised. "What is it, Zelena? Don't tell me you're leaving us?"

"I am" Answered the ginger with an empty smile. "I'm sorry."

"But… But why? Did we do anything to upset you, or…"

"Oh! No, no, don't worry, it's not you, not at all! You two and Grace, you've been so nice to me; I'll never forget about that. I wish I could stay. I really do. But Jefferson was right when he said you couldn't afford to have me here, especially with the baby coming. I have to find a place of my own to raise it properly; I can't keep sponging off of you … "

"You're not! We can figure out a way, if money's the problem, and you're helping, you're looking after Grace when we're out!"

Zelena tried to smile. She loved this family so much, but she had to leave. If she stayed even a day more, her envy would be too much, and she would ruin everything as she always did.

"Even if that were true, I couldn't stay. I won't go back to my dad, but I miss my world, and I want to raise my child in it. I'm sorry. Perhaps I'll see you again."

Priscilla, near tears, embraced her friend. "I'll miss you. "

"And I'll miss you." They moved away from each other, and Priscilla wiped a tear.

"Will you at least come with me for a walk before you go?"

Zelena smiled at her. "Gladly."

* * *

Her things all packed, Zelena was feeling better. She was doing the right thing, for once; protecting this family from her. And this little walk in the forest, chatting with her friend, was feeling quite nice. She felt her heart sink as she realized how much she was gonna miss this. But she couldn't let her thoughts deepen; Priscilla and her had only walked for a few minutes in the woods when a purple smoke appeared in front of them.

"Rumplestiltskin."

Of course it was him. Who else?

He grinned. "Well dearie, now that you don't have your little lover to protect, you'll be much easier to convince, won't you?"

Almost not realizing the threat the wizard presented, Priscilla turned to her friend.

"A lover? You didn't tell me about that. Do I know him? Who is he?"

Zelena blushed, and Rumple sneered.

"Oh, but that little hatter of hers, of course. You know, the one you're living with!"

"He's not my lover!" interjected the witch, her cheeks as red as her neck was green.

"How dare you! We're only friends, and we're…"

Priscilla stopped her with a move of her hand. She turned to face her. The nice friendly smile was gone; all Zelena could see in her eyes was pain and betrayal.

"You… And Jeff- "

"No!"

"How could I not see it, the way you two were looking at one another… And I was telling myself I was making things up, that I was too jealous."

"Priscilla, I swear, I didn't… Nothing happened between us. Really."

She didn't know what else to say. A kiss wasn't nothing; that much was obvious. But it wasn't much either. So what was she supposed to say? To do?

Priscilla's voice hardened. "But do you love him?"

"I-"

"Answer me!"

Zelena's cheeks were burning red. She couldn't look Priscilla in the eyes. Twisting her hands, shivering, she finally managed to whisper an almost inaudible "Yes."

But, seeing the look on Priscilla's face, Zelena knew she might as well have screamed it.

"But I swear," she added, "nothing happened between us, I'd never do that to you, you're my friend, and I'm leaving, I'd never get between the two of you, I swear!"

But she couldn't tell if her tirade had had any effect because Rumple, not liking not being the center of the attention, quickly interrupted.

"Perhaps we could get back to where we were left, hum? Last time I tried to kill someone you love, but why would I bother when I only have to kill… You!"

With a sneer, he sent a magic ray at the Wicked Witch, who wasn't paying attention, too busy looking at her friend to try to make her understand. But Priscilla did see the attack coming.

She jumped, and caught the burning ray right in the chest.

Priscilla fell down with a moan, and Zelena finally snapped out of it.

"NO!" she shouted as she jumped to catch her, facing the wizard with a gaze filled with so much hatred.

Rumple, seeing he'd missed and he couldn't take her by surprise anymore, vanished in a cloud of smoke. Without even thinking about him anymore, Zelena kneeled next to the injured woman. "No, no, don't worry, everything will be fine. I'll fix it."

She tried to cure her with her magic, but Priscilla stopped her.

"Don't bother, it won't work. But it's okay. Just… Take a good care of my daughter. Please."

"No, you won't die! You won't!"

Zelena was crying her heart out now, almost unable to see Priscilla's face through her tears. The injured woman smiled and didn't answer. She was well aware she wouldn't make it, but Zelena wasn't ready to see it. The witch grabbed her hand and sobbed.

"But why… Why did you do that? How could you sacrifice yourself for me after what I just told you?"

"You're my friend. And you were ready to give up your love for me."

"I… I… "

"Please take care of my family. And tell them I love them."

Then, she just closed her eyes, and her chest stopped moving.

"No…" Zelena breathed out in a whisper. She tried again the magic thing, many, many times, but it never worked. She was about to give up when Jefferson came out. When he saw his wife laying on the ground, he ran as fast as he could.

"She… She's not breathing…" He turned to Zelena, and his eyes widened.

"What have you done to her!"

Zelena was so shocked he could even imagine she'd hurt Priscilla that she remained frozen for a few seconds.

"I didn't do anything! I was leaving, and Priscilla told me to get out for a walk and Rumple showed up, and he wanted my slippers, and he…"

She wasn't making any sense, trying so hard to explain what happened when she wasn't even sure herself. But his gaze hardened.

"I saw that green thing on your neck growing, I knew it was envy, but I didn't think you'd do this!"

His eyes filled with tears.

"I thought what Rumple told me when I met him were lies, that you wouldn't hurt anyone. Not your sister. Not my wife! So he was right. You are wicked! You're… You're a monster! "

"But I didn't. I…"

"Go. I never want to see you again."

His voice was broken, and so sharp it was cutting like a knife every slice of Zelena's heart with each word he said.

"Jefferson, you have to listen to me. I.. ."

"Go! Or I'll kill you myself. As you killed her."

She could have defeated him in a blink. She could have forced him to listen. But it was too late. He had given up on her as well. She clicked her heels three times and disappeared in a cloud of green smoke.

* * *

She reappeared in the Oz castle, and walked through the golden doors almost without noticing the two guards she threw away on her way. When she finally arrived next to the center of the room, the flames lit up once more and the wizard's shadow appeared on the curtain. Zelena climbed up the stairs.

"I learned some tricks while I was gone. You showed me my past, now take me there. At the moment my mother abandoned me; that's when it all went wrong. I need to go back. And change it"

* * *

 **AN: So that's it... For now! Please tell me what what you liked/disliked, reviews would make my days! And thanks again for your support, you are awesome ^^ **


	11. The thing you love most

_**Present day – Two days later**_

Jade was in the library when Rumple entered. She first thought he had come for Belle, but he walked straight over to her. With a smirk, he handed her a small piece of paper and left without Belle or Grace even noticing him.  
Jade opened it and read it. She remained frozen for a minute, and then suddenly bolted through the library's door without even saying goodbye to the girls.

Out of breath, she finally arrived at the Merry Men's camp.

"Mum, mum, you must see this, you…"  
She stopped talking when she bumped into Robin.

"Wow, careful, child!"  
He helped her steady her balance, and they stared at one another for a moment, uncomfortable. They were not the best friends in the world, since he left Regina because of Marian, but also because of her…  
Jade cleared her throat. "Hum. May… May I see Marian, please? There's something I need to tell her and it's… quite urgent."

"Oh. I'm sorry, she's not here right now, but perhaps I could tell her when she gets back?"  
"No, I must tell her myself. And the sooner, the better. Could you please tell me where she is?"  
"She's on the beach with Roland. He wanted to build sandcastles before dinner."  
"Okay, fine. Could you lead me there, please? Or just show me the way?"  
"It's just over here," Robin said, gesturing behind him.

She ran to the beach and found Marian/Zelena actually building sandcastles with the little boy. She was laughing, and the child seemed pleased. A flash of envy passed in Jade's eyes, and for one guilty second, she felt almost happy that she was here to ruin their happy moment. She never made sandcastles with her mother. Perhaps because there was no beach in Oz, but still…  
That thought was nasty; it wasn't their fault... Anyway, she had to warn her mother. Even if it was what Rumple wanted from her.

"Marian?"  
The woman turned to face Jade, a questioning look on her face.  
"Jade? What are you doing here? "

"Rumple gave me this, and I thought you would want to see it…"

The woman came to her and took the paper from her, reading it out loud.

"Dear Zelena.  
Seeing as you missed the meeting yesterday with a special someone you (or I) asked for, I suggest you meet the two of us at your former house tonight at 7. I think he'll be glad to see you… See you tonight, dearie!"

Jade looked at her mother. "He kidnapped someone, didn't he? Do you know who he's talking about?"

The woman fiddled with the little piece of hat fabric that was protruding from the folded piece of paper.  
"I think I have a pretty good idea…"

"So what are you gonna do?" the girl asked .

It was already 6:30 pm. Zelena smiled at her daughter and caressed her hair.  
"Go home with Regina, love; I'll be right back."

"No! I'm coming with you."  
"No, you're not. It's too dangerous."  
"I saved you last time!"  
"Because I wasn't paying attention. This time, I will, so don't worry. I'll be fine."

Zelena kneeled and moved aside a piece of red hair from Jade's eyes.  
"I think, when I'm back, I'll find a way to tell the others who I am. So you can stay with me, if Regina will let you…"

The girl beamed.  
"That would be lovely! Go save the world, and come back soon!"

Zelena smiled, laughing softly. "I will."

She stood and started to walk away, holding Roland's hand to get him home before leaving.

"Mom?" Jade called out.

Her mother turned to face her. "Yeah? "

"You've really changed."

"Rumple? Here I am. Where are you hiding?"

Zelena yelled. The farmhouse was empty, and the wind was probably the only moving thing around. She kept pacing in the dark. She hesitated, and turned the clover to take back her normal form. "Rumple!"

In a cloud of smoke, the wizard finally appeared. She sighed.  
"You know I can do the same, so why do you bother working on your entries like that? You could just walk in, like everyone else."  
"Oh, but I'm not everyone else! Now, dearie, as you're here, I suppose you received my message?"  
"Indeed. Where is he?"  
"Oh, right, your true love! Too bad he hates you now, isn't it?"  
"I won't talk to you about that. Let him go. I'm here, and that's what you wanted, wasn't it?"

He sneered.  
"Oh, of course, dearie. But I don't want just you. I want you to suffer, as I did. You took my son. I'll take your love!"

With a gesture of the arm, he revealed a silhouette laying on the ground.

"Jefferson!"

She ran to him. The hatter's eyes were closed, his head hanging limply, almost lifeless. His breath was so weak she could barely feel it. She cradled his head on her knees.

"What did you do to him?"

Rumple smirked.  
"Funny you still care about him after the way he treated you, isn't it?"  
"What. Did you do. To him!"  
"Oh, almost nothing. I just took this beautiful thing of his. Anyway, not so useful in his chest seeing as I killed his beloved wife, right?"

In his palm was resting a bright red, beating heart. Jefferson's heart. She ground her teeth to restrain from screaming.

"Give that back!"

He chuckled. "Oh, I surely won't, dearie. I'd rather do… This!"

He squeezed, and the hatter moaned. Anger rose in Zelena's chest like a hurricane. Her hands lit up in green light, and she stood up.

"Give his heart back, Rumple! I won't say it twice! "

"Oh, I won't talk anymore, either. I'll just do… this."

He squeezed harder, and Jefferson contorted in pain.

Rumple smirked. "Now, watch carefully, dearie. This is how you take away a happy ending. "

"I'm afraid it's not."

This voice was coming from behind them. Rumple stopped his move and turned to see the town's mayor. Behind her was Jade, smiling from ear to ear.

"Regina, dear! I…" Rumple began.

"Give that back, Rumple."

"I'm sorry your majesty. I'm afraid I can't.

"And I thought you'd changed," interrupted another voice.

"Belle…"

The brunette left the shadows. "Rumple. I trusted you…"

He turned back to her. "Belle. I'm… I… "

"Return this man his heart, Rumple. Please."

"I can't. I've waited for too long to get my revenge!"

Belle frowned.  
"I thought I would never use this, but you leave me no choice. Give that man his heart back."

From under her coat, she pulled out the dagger. And Rumple couldn't squeeze anymore, couldn't torture the man anymore, because she didn't want him to.

"How… How did you…"

"When I figured out the dagger you'd given me was fake, I finally realized that all the signs I've been seeing were correct… you never gave up power for me, Rumple. You never have. And you never will. Jade coming to me with Regina only confirmed that."

"But you don't understand…"  
"No. You told me that thing you showed me, the gantlet, could lead you to someone's weakness. To the thing they loved the most. Well, you know where it led me, Rumple? To the real dagger."  
"Belle, I… "  
"No. It's too late. I was hoping that, for once, you'd choose me over darkness. But you never do. Never have; never will."  
"Belle-"  
"Dark One, I command you to leave Storybrooke. Forever."  
"No. No!" But it was too late. He was already gone, Jefferson's heart laying on the floor, a bright red memory of what just happened.

Crying, Belle fell to the ground.

Silently, Zelena picked up the heart. On her way to give it back to its rightful owner, she placed a grateful hand on Belle's shoulder. She was understood all too well what loving Rumple felt like…

Jefferson took a deep breath as she put his heart back inside his chest. His eyes opened wide, and met Zelena's.

"Zelena…"

"I know. I'll leave you alone."

He shook his head. "No. I heard what he said. You didn't kill her."

"Indeed. A bit late to finally believe me, don't you think?"  
"I'm so sorry… I should have known you wouldn't hurt her. I let him influence me; I… "  
"It's okay, I guess. But you should go before Grace gets worried about where you've been."

She started to leave, but he stopped her.

"No, wait! You know, what I told you that day… I never stopped thinking about it."

She returned him a sad smile. "Neither did I. And still, we've blown it. It's too late. I'm sorry."

She went to join the "heroes," who were comforting Belle.

Regina was a little ways away from the group and noticed her sister coming.

"So… you're back. And you took my boyfriend by being so." She said it so naturally that it took a few moments for Zelena to understand what she was talking about -the whole Marian thing.

"Oh, that. Right. It was the only way to come back. And having Robin, well… Wicked, wasn't it?"

Regina laughed. "Well, not so much apparently. I should almost thank you for showing me a soulmate isn't necessarily the one you're supposed to live with. And that you can find someone else."

"By someone else, you mean Emma?"

Regina blushed. "How do you know that? "

"Jade saw you one night; she told me about it."

"Well let's say it's… complicated. But… "

"You love her, don't you?.

Regina swallowed and glanced at the ground, smiling. "Yes, I do." She paused, and grinned. "You're not going to take her too, are you?"

Zelena laughed and shook her head. "Don't worry, I'll leave you that one. I finally realized that my daughter was more important than some silly revenge - than anything. Something I should have seen a long time ago. "

"You've really changed. I don't imagine the Zelena I saw in that cell saying that."  
"That's because I was talking to you. "  
"And now you're not? "  
"Hum. It's different. Last time, I was in a jail after losing to you. And I wasn't…" T

hinking about Jefferson brought her close to tears, but she tried to hide it. No matter how you feel on the inside, Zelena, you must always put on your best face, she chided herself.

"You didn't want him to go, did you?"

Hum. Still work to do about that poker face thing. "It's… complicated. We've been through a lot."

Regina took a deep breath. "Zelena, I know we're not best friends, but you're my sister, so let me tell you something. Before I was the Evil Queen, I found love, and lost it. It was hard, and it scared me so much I didn't dare to follow my heart for a very long time. I chose not to love because it was too painful. And I turned evil because I was alone. You don't have to be alone, Zelena. I think, despite everything you did, that if I was able to find love, then so are you. Don't let go of your own chance at happiness…" She smiled at her sister. "And I saw the way you two looked at one another. He won't ever hurt you."

Zelena's eyes filled with tears. "He already did…"

Regina smiled. "Then if you really are that new Zelena, perhaps it's time to let that go, and forgive."

The red-haired woman turned to watch the silhouette of the hatter leaving the clearing. "You're right."  
She took a deep breath.

"Jefferson, wait."  
It was almost a whisper, but he still heard, freezing mid-step.

He turned around, and she ran at him. When she was only a few feet away, she slowed down her pace and shyly came closer.  
"I… I think we…"  
"Don't think, dear. That's what we should have done last time, isn't it?"

He smiled and took her in his arms.

That's when Emma finally showed up, out of breath. She came right to Regina.  
"Regina, what's going on? I was told you were all here, and Zelena, she…"

The former queen smiled and laid an arm over the sheriff's shoulders.  
"Don't worry, dear. Everything will be fine now."

* * *

 _ **AN: Hey guys! Thank you so much for sharing this adventure with me :) Please let me know what you think! And who knows, it may not be completely over, I might write an epilogue soon to let you know what happens next :)... **_


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